VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
• PROGRAM VOLUNTEERS work with the students. They may lead horses, walk beside the horse offering assistance to the rider or set up the ring for the lessons.
• PROJECT VOLUNTEERS help in many areas—building projects, newsletters, hospitality, website design & updating…..
• SPECIAL EVENT VOLUNTEERS plan and put on various events throughout the year such as end of session BBQ, volunteer recognition events, fundraising events …...
•FUNDRAISING VOLUNTEERS work hard raising the money necessary to keep the program alive!
•RESOURCE VOLUNTEERS offer their professional expertise in areas such as medical, therapy, marketing, promotion, fundraising, graphic design……..
Horse Leader/Sidewalker - A typical therapeutic riding lesson has one to three volunteers and an instructor working with a rider in the horse barn and the riding arena. This therapeutic team helps the rider learn how to groom, saddle and ride a horse. Individual goals and riding plans are made at the start of the session and reviewed before each lesson. The rider may play games on horseback, maneuver around obstacles and/or develop his/her skills to learn to ride without physical support or even without a horse leader. Therapeutic riding is a way to develop confidence, balance, strength, coordination and endurance.
The primary responsibility of the lesson HORSE LEADER is management of the horse and ensuring rider safety both on the ground and once mounted. The horse leader must have experience working with horses.
The primary responsibility of the lesson SIDE WALKER is to support and interact with the rider. Specific horse experience is not necessary but side walkers must be comfortable around horses. Both positions require good communication skills, a willingness to work as a team and a desire to help others. A sidewalker is a person who acts as a "spotter", assisting a rider with a disability by walking alongside him/her while mounted on the horse. Instructors may also ask for assistance from a sidewalker while in the barn, when the rider is preparing or caring for the horse before and after the mounted portion of a Therapeutic riding session. Sidewalker's go where the lesson takes them. Lessons usually are conducted in an enclosed sand arena, but occasionally riders venture out to the open fields or wooded trails. Most importantly the role of the side walker is to be attentive, helpful, and willing to assist those around them. Hope Reins Therapeutic Riding Centre staff is responsible for the students and horses; a side walker's job is to be an extra set of hands, eyes and ears to help keep every session safe and fun.
Volunteer training (approx. 2 hours) is required and offered throughout the year. The minimum required time for volunteers (one hour per week for 6-8 weeks) is important in establishing a rapport between our riders and volunteers, aids in teamwork and helps us realize our training investment. Volunteers in the lesson program will need to have good mobility and be able to walk or jog (short distances) on soft or uneven ground. Due to the responsibilities involved in providing a riding lesson, volunteers must be 18 years old or older.
Please note that all volunteers will be required to provide a standard criminal record check as well as a criminal record check for those working with vulnerable sectors.
